This month we take a look at some interesting statistics from the scores that were captured over the course of 2018.
Handicap statistics
3 798 036 is the number of rounds entered on the handicap system last year. That’s well over 10 000 rounds per day! It’s also a massive 4.6% increase on 2017.
We currently have 138 105 registered golfers on the HNA system.
Of all registered golfers, 29,2% fall into the 35-49 age bracket – the largest age category. The junior golfer category, ages 0-18, has increased from 3,9% to 4,5%.
85 golfers submitted at least 200 scores over the course of 2018. The average number of scores entered per person is 27,5 – or just over two per month.
Central Gauteng remains the busiest union, racking up an impressive 664 391 rounds in 2018. KwaZulu-Natal was second on 611 426, with Western Province third on 522 792.
Unsurprisingly, these are the three Unions with the most golfers. Central Gauteng has 23 572 golfers, KwaZulu-Natal has 22 795 and Western Province has 13 962.
An incredible 10 723 666 page impressions were recorded on the hna.openagency.co website over the course of 2018.
In total, 1 960 819 scores were entered on the HNA mobile app in 2018, making it easily the most popular platform to enter your score. The HNA terminals accounted for 1 026 171 scores, while 593 157 scores were entered on the HNA website.
Unsurprisingly, December was the most popular month for golfers, with 371 667 scores submitted. Next was January, followed by March and November. June (278 264) was the quietest month for golfers in South Africa.
Keen golfers: 64,3% of all registered golfers entered more than 20 scores in 2018 – almost two-thirds.
6 clubs registered more than 40 000 rounds of golf last year. Of those, four were 36-hole facilities and one was a 27-hole club. Country Club Johannesburg topped the overall list, with 66 691 recorded rounds. Westlake Golf Club headed the list of 18-hole facilities, with 41 618 recorded rounds, followed by Clovelly Country Club.
A tip of the cap to Hermanus Golf Club, which topped the Registered Rounds Percentage, with a brilliant score of 91,39%. In second spot was Camelot Country Club in KZN (89,02%) and Mossel Bay Golf Club was third on 88,84%.
According to their Slope and Course Ratings, The Links at Fancourt (Black Tees) and the Gary Player Country Club (Red Tees) are the two hardest courses in the country for men. Off the back, The Links has a Course Rating of 78,9 and a Slope of 155, while GPCC has a Course Rating of 78,2 and a Slope of 155.
For women, Glendower’s Yellow course is considered the toughest of all, with a Course Rating of 83,0 and a Slope Rating of 155.
Quote of the Month
“Over the years, I’ve studied the habits of golfers. I know what to look for. Watch their eyes. Fear shows up when there is an enlargement of the pupils. Big pupils lead to big scores.” ~ Sam Snead